Shoes

Let's say you want to take public transportation to a meeting in the 'burbs, but your destination is about a mile away from the train station. Sure, you could call a cab, wait around for a bus, or break a sweat walking. But if you don't have the time to spare or don't want to wrangle with bus schedules that match up to train schedules, you might be tempted to scrap the whole plan and just drive.

That's the problem Treadways aim to solve.

Treadways are motorized shoe attachments that can be used as a last-mile transportation solution that you strap on where public transit drops you off. Designer Peter Treadway recently entered his personal mobility solution for the James Dyson Award (namesake of the famous vacuum cleaner reinventor), a competition for newly minted design engineers who have invented a product that solves a problem.

Less bulky than a skateboard and easier to transport than a bike, Treadways are ideal for covering longer walking distances. The advantage of motorized shoes over current portable transportation solutions such as scooters, Treadway says, is that you can easily carry Treadways with you and don't have to worry about locking them up or babysitting them all day. In fact, Treadway, who also designs a line of messenger bags, is working on a bag specifically designed to carry his motorized shoes. … Read more

There are really only three things I remember about the movie "Back to the Future 2." There was the hoverboard, of course, and the flying DeLorean that ran on food scraps. But the most tangible piece of futuristic technology--the thing every child of the '80s was certain they'd see within their lifetimes--was the self-lacing Nike high-top.

Well, the future has arrived, folks. The DIY motorized laces demonstrated in the above video aren't quite as elegant as Marty McFly's Power Laces, but the end result is much less expensive than a DeLorean and a flux capacitor. … Read more

Shoes are one of those things that can take a leap of faith to buy off the Internet. Sure there are online retailers like Zappos that offer free two-way shipping, but if you're in a pinch to get the right size the first time around, there's a new company that just might help you do it.

Shoefitr, which demoed its technology at Thursday's AlphaLab incubator demo day in Pittsburgh, Pa., is attempting to solve the size problem by feeding shoes through a 3D scanner. This results in the company having a 3D model of the shoe that'… Read more

404-listener Blake Stevenson heard us fanning out on The Sandlot during yesterday's episode, so he whipped up a 404ified poster for today's blog image. Thanks Blake!

It's almost the end of the work week, so Natali Del Conte is on the show and she's bringing the dirty starting with the queen of filthy pop, Lady Gaga. According to video analytics company Visible Measures, the diva has just become the first artist ever to achieve one billion online video views thanks to her three hit singles: Poker Face, Just Dance, and Bad Romance. If you're new to Gaga fandom, you have a lot of homework to do, because the one billion doesn't even count her live performances, video diaries, and popular interviews--not to mention her upcoming 3D concert DVD. Speaking of which, anyone have extra tickets to the sold-out MSG show in July?

On a completely unrelated note, law enforcement can now expose and track pedophiles by their typing habits. Apparently the typing speed and rhythms of these predators are unique and researching are currently investigating ways to identify the typist's age, sex, and culture within TEN KEYSTROKES! We're fully backing any new methods that put these idiots behind bars, but with no explanation of exactly how pedophiles type, we can't help but be skeptical with their findings. How about casting a smaller net and focusing on the dude asking for a WEP password at Chuck E. Cheese?

Be sure to stick around to hear Natali and the guys debunk 5 myths about the male body, starting with this foolish rumor about shoe size. The days of being too ashamed to ask a shoe salesperson for your size 7 loafers are over!

All this and more stories guaranteed to leave a bitter taste in your mouth, plus a new "E-mails From the Public" segment that forces us to question our potty-mouth promos. Talk to you tomorrow!

All of my friends back east are jumping for joy, as it appears to be finally warming up a little and melting the pounds of snow they've been hit with for the past month. And since it seems that the snow will soon be drained into our great country's sewer systems, I thought we'd send the snow off with this video blog post about the most badass snowcar I've ever seen. Check it out.

Rally team driver and Chief Brand Officer of DC Shoes, Ken Block, apparently took a Subaru Impreza WRX STI and transformed it … Read more

While today's Golden Globe announcements were a bit underwhelming, we were thrilled to see "The Hangover" get a nomination in the Best Picture: Comedy or Musical category. To coincide with the film's release on Blu-ray and DVD today we're giving away copies of the movie! Just send us an e-mail at the404 [at] cnet [dot] com telling us your best (or worst) hangover story. Everyone's got at least one, so send us yours for a chance to win!

In Justin and Wilson's absence, Natali Del Conte and Mark "MTI" Licea rush to fill their spots and discuss all the day's news. Should your company be able to check text messages you send out on work cell phones? Actually, don't answer that question--we debate the pros and cons and decide.

Most guys can't remember what shirt they wore yesterday, but apparently most women can recall the first pair of shoes they ever bought--more so than the first boy they ever kissed! What is it about the female obsession with shoes? We ask Natali to clear the air--because, well, she's the only woman who'll talk to us.

All this plus the location of 22 million missing e-mails from the Bush Administration on today's episode!

Were designer Andreia Chaves' mirrored shoes to meet the Mirrored Rubik's Cube, you'd have yourself a look with a capital L. The "Invisible Shoes" are low-cut boots covered in asymmetrical mirrors that reflect the wearer's surroundings and create a different optical effect with every step. Right now, they're just concept footwear, and in the unlikely event they ever make it to market, we're figuring they'll be limited to the likes of Lady Gaga.

Chaves, a Brazilian designer, views shoes as part art, part math. Currently studying form, texture, and visual effects in … Read more

Amazon's acquisition of shoes-and-more retailer Zappos is complete, the e-commerce giant said in a release Monday. The company in July had announced its intent to make the purchase, for about $850 million in cash and stock.

Zappos, which made a name for itself based on outside-the-box customer service principles, will stay independent from the Amazon.com brand and will continue to operate out of its Las Vegas headquarters.

Numbers released by J.P. Morgan Research in conjunction with the acquisition announcement predict that Zappos will post moderate, single-digit growth for the 2009 fiscal year after raking in $635 million … Read more

Not everything in today's show is about the "lady parts." That doesn't stop it from being awkward for the gents who might be listening. Not to mention, the gent who helped produce the show.

Medicating menstrual cramps

Pok?mon Menstrual Pad (Thanks Erick!)

Wait, is this a shoe?

Blood Lamp — creepy

What the hell Robotic unicycle

Hey, baby Why cry baby crying analyzer

What a concept bheestie bag: get the wet out of your cell phone

Why didn’t I think of that? Yoke shopper

It’s about time 10 amazing modern watch designs of the future… Read more